Apostasy

Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth.

We are washed in the Word Of The Lord and transformed from Grace to Grace by it.

The implication for those not in the Word is that they are unsanctified and so, spiritually filthy.

Worst of all, they may not realize they are filthy and in conflict with their Saviour.

But for those in the Word, Abundant Life in power, peace, joy, faith and love manifests more and more.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Translated from KJV
This is not just a response to put Satan off. But, more importantly, it is a statement of Spiritual Law which clearly elevates the importance of every Word Of The Lord. We cannot experience Abundant Life without abiding in His Word.
Just as food is necessary for Physical Life, the Word Of God is necessary for Spiritual Life. the Lord is a Spirit so we can only relate to Him in Spirit and in Truth by faith. We need the Holy Spirit of the Lord and we need the Word Of The Lord.

First you abandon and then you renounce. - Randy Lucas

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

To know the Truth means that we have:
   ➛ Heard it
   ➛ Believed it
   ➛ Received it
   ➛ Doing it

See He Be Re Do.

This verse is not only talking about Christ Jesus who is the Truth, but it is also talking about truth in general. If you do not have a Love Of The Truth you are a target for Satan to deceive and bind in all manner of lies.

When you are in bondage to deception you wither and self-destruct.

There is Truth and there is Lie. When you mix any part of a Lie in the Truth you end up with a Lie.

Apostasy begins to take shape as soon as a person or church or denomination entertains a Thought that God`s Word in not True.

Now, the immediate result of that departure from the Truth may be Comfort or Pleasure but the end is Destruction. ( See Eve and the Forbidden Fruit - ) .

When we look at the Weakness in the Church today we can trace it back to its interpretation of the Word Of God and/or its demotion of the Word Of God.

By interpretation I mean the explaining away of clear and unamiguous statements in the Word.   An example is .
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.
A desire is the object of hope.     Desiring and Hoping are activities of the imagination.
Faith is the state of our heart regarding that which we desire.
Jesus is telling us to visualize a desire, ask for it and immediately receive it in faith.
The act of desiring, hoping, asking, believing and receiving by faith is a seed that is planted.     The manifestation of that which is desired is the harvest.
The Spiritual Law of Seed Time And Harvest is foundational to all that the Lord has created.
1) We sow
2) the Lord produces
3) We harvest.

How many Christians pray `if it be thy Will` when Praying? Where did that concept come from?

By demotion of the Word I mean elevation of Church Doctrine, statements of Belief and Tradition above the Word Of God in practice.

Whether it be neutering/twisting the Word or demotion of the Word, the end result is that the Truth is replaced with a Lie. The contrapositive of is:
You shall know a Lie and the Lie will Bind you.

When Apostasy sets in Power disappears.

This is why the Church is ineffective today.   It is how the Enemy has been able to establish his children at the top of the Seven Mountains.   It is why there is Confusion about Gender, Sexuality, Science and Morality.
And he said unto them, Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
This is the Great Commission.     It is still in force.     We are expected to carry the Gospel to every creature.
Jesus did not expect every person to believe, but He wants us to make sure all nations hear the Gospel as it is a criteria for His return.

He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned.
Paul echoes Christ when he says we are saved by Grace Through Faith
The baptism referred to here is Water Baptism because Peter who instruced John Mark on the events of Christ Jesus' life was a Jew fully versed in Judaism and purification rites.
Peter assumed that those rites had spiritual efficacy which they do not.     Rites are symbols of the real thing, but they are not the real thing.
15 years after the resurrection and ascension of Christ Paul had it out with the Judaism Christians in Jerusalem.     The Jews reluctantly received Paul's instruction and enforced only 3 laws on those who come to Christ:
   ➛ do not eat things offered to idols
   ➛ do not drink blood
   ➛ do not fornicate
So, the early believers had very little dogma.     They believed that:
   ➛ Jesus was the Messiah
   ➛ Jesus had raised Himself from the dead and ascended to heaven
   ➛ Jesus had given them His Holy Spirit
Judaism defined everything else.     The Gentiles did not have a history of knowledge of Judaism and so Paul preached to them the pure Gospel of Grace Through Faith in Christ Jesus our Creator, Mighty God, Savior, Lord and King.
We are to be immersed into Christ Jesus
It is not enough just to believe that Jesus is the Christ.     We must immerse ourselves in Him being Baptized In The Name Of Jesus Christ.
How do we do that?
   ➛ absorb the Word
   ➛ Spirit Baptism
   ➛ have the Mind Of Christ
As to Water Baptism, it is public evidence of faith in Christ.     It is not evidence to the Lord as He knows the heart of man.
Paul makes it clear that Spirit Salvation is a result of Heart Faith in Christ Jesus and oral confession that Jesus is the resurrected Christ in
Public Confession of Christ confirms our salvation to ourselves and those to whom we witness.     It is a precursor to lifelong sharing of the Testimony Of Jesus Christ.
For those who believe that Water Baptism has spiritual efficacy, note that Christ never Water Baptized anyone and Paul virtually apologized for the few that he did Water Baptize

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Jesus tells us that we will operate in His power to do signs and wonders, to exorcise demons and to speak in new tongues ( Prayer Language and messages in tongues).

They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
We will not be subject to physical attacks by virtue of the Holy Spirit supernaturally empowering and protecting us.

As powerful as the Name of Jesus is, it is not as powerful as the Word Of God.
I will worship toward your holy temple, and praise your name for your lovingkindness and for your truth: for you have magnified your word above all your name.
The Word of the Lord gives import to His name, Jesus, the Incarnate Word.
To be truly aligned with the Lord you must hear, believe, receive and do His Word ( He Be Re Do).     We do His word by allowing it to transform our hearts so that we speak and act according to His Word

Furthermore, the Name, Jesus, loses its value when divorced from the Word Of God. Jesus is the Incarnate Word.
Nevertheless I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love.
Ephesus had substituted religion for relationship. They had become ritualistic instead of Spirit Filled.

Remember therefore from where you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto you quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of his place, except you repent.
What are the First Works of a believer?
To hear the Word, to believe it, to receive it and to do it.
To resist the teaching and leading of the Word and Holy Spirit puts one in jeopardy of losing their influence - i.e.     having their candlestick removed.     The church at Ephesus no longer exists.
Because 21st century Christianity has refused to confront evil, its influence in the world is gone.
This lack of influence opens the flood gates for those driven by the Spirit Of Antichrist to establish a globalist one-world government and give power to the Beast.

Our First Love and our First Works is the Word Of God which is the Power of God unto Salvation () .

Some reading that statement would say: " No, Jesus is our FirstLove", to which I would ask: "How do you Know who Jesus is?". Unless our Faith is in the Word Of God it is highly likely that we are Believing in Error.

Jesus is Truth () The Word Of God is Truth ()
You can`t Know or Love One without Knowing and Loving the other.

The Gospel is Good News which is defined explicitly by the Word Of God.

If we are to see a Revival we must promote the Word Of God to its rightful place at the top of our Theology, our Faith and our Testimony.